Just over two weeks after falling to Liberty North, the Lady Trojans got revenge on their Kansas City Suburban Conference Gold Division rival on Feb. 3.
The Eagles defeated the short-handed Trojans 50-40 on Jan. 19, but it was a different story with Kennedy Townsend back in the lineup. The Park Hill girls’ basketball team (11-8) took an early lead over Liberty North (9-8) and never trailed after the opening frame to pull out a 37-30 victory in the conference rematch.
“She (Kennedy) plays a very big role, but it was just a good team win,” Park Hill girls’ head basketball coach Aaron Neeser said. “We had to gut through that; it wasn’t an offensive masterpiece by any means.”
The entire contest was a defensive battle from tip-off to the final buzzer, starting with no made field goals in the opening 3:19 of the night. Townsend drove and kicked it out to Amaya Blake who swished a 3-point shot from the left wing for the first non-free throw of the night.
All four of the Trojans’ field goals in the first quarter were assisted, which included five straight points from McKenna Sonsa – a shot from downtown and a layup in transition. Blake also converted on a three-point play to give the senior six of her game-high 18 points and the Trojans led the Eagles 11-6 entering the second quarter.
For the next two periods Park Hill’s lead varied in between four points and eight points, but Liberty North was never able to narrow the deficit within one possession until an Eagles’ 3-pointer with 4:24 left in the game, 26-23. The Trojans responded with seven straight points – four of which were from Blake – and the Eagles only scored five points for the rest of the night, gifting Park Hill its sixth conference win in nine tries.
“That is what playoff basketball is like, we know them, and they know us; and it just comes down to the kids have to make plays when it is their time to make a play. I’m really happy and proud of the girls for the way they played tonight,” Neeser said.
Amaya Blake, above, led the Trojans to a 37-30 win over Liberty North on Feb. 3 when the senior scored 18 points.
After Townsend missed more than a month with an injury, Park Hill has had multiple players step up and gain experience in her absence. Townsend returned in Park Hill’s 41-29 loss against St. Pius X (14-3) on Jan. 27 before she poured out 29 points – with five treys – in the Trojans’ 68-52 win over Blue Springs on Jan. 31.
“I feel like they just have taken the entire season very seriously and taken it upon themselves to get better every day and they have. We are just trying to keep building for the rest of the season,” Neeser said.
In Park Hill’s most recent contest, the Trojans took down Lee’s Summit North (11-5) 38-34 on Feb. 4. After a tight opening half when Park Hill led 11-9 after one and 26-22 at the break, the Trojans had a strong second half to end up with the victory.
Townsend carried a large load of the offense as the senior was the only Trojan to score more than five points in the contest. Townsend made five of her 11 attempts from behind the arc to give her 17 points, while also grabbing seven rebounds and dishing out two assists.
In the back end of the regular season, Park Hill has four games remaining ahead of districts. The Trojans will be on the road for their next contest against Liberty (8-9) on Feb. 11.